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India’s increasing economic and political clout has prompted a spurt in the volume and complexity of its overseas development assistance. Looking ahead, the largest incremental capital for global development and infrastructure beyond what exists today will also come from India as the value of its economy grows from $2 trillion to roughly $7 trillion by 2030. However, the DPA – India’s development cooperation agency – is yet to assume an a

Nations will not have common values, because nations themselves are a collection of diverse historical experiences and ambitions. However, there is no need to throw in the towel over global governance, for nations can have a vision for shared prosperity with different approaches to get there.

To mark the first anniversary of the spectacular terrorist strikes in Madrid by jihadi terrorists with definite sympathy for Al Qaeda, even if not satisfactorily proved links to it, the city is hosting what has been projected as an International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security from March 8 to 10 to discuss, inter alia, the causes and the underlying factors of terrorism, methods of confronting it and the democratic responses available

Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA), recognised for its cost-effective and co-beneficial advantages, is seeing a global uptake. However, the number and scale of EbA projects remain limited compared to the opportunities offered by India’s diverse ecosystems and indigenous practices. While lack of funding is a direct cause, the small scale of existing EbA projects also fails to attract funding. Breaking this cycle requires addressing other mechanism

The seventh of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030. This challenge is acute in the African continent, home to large populations without access to electricity and clean cooking fuel. This brief explores the scope for cooperation between India and Africa in not only achieving SDG 7, but while doing so, also considering the targets set by SDG 5 to

Urban infrastructure projects using brownfield or greenfield development can cause damage to natural habitats. To achieve the Agenda 2030 goal of “leaving no one behind” while mitigating the destruction of habitats, an integrated approach towards infrastructure development must be adopted. This paper outlines the current paradigms of sustainable infrastructure provision, highlighting how and why sustainability outcomes are overlooked at diffe

The first universal, legally binding global climate accord signed at the 21st session of the Conference of Parties (COP) in Paris in 2015 committed to long-term goals for “holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.” However, as world leaders prepare for the Facilitative Dialogue (FD) ahead o

The military must only follow orders and do what it is told. “Charge of the Light Brigade” as a concept has no validity in this day and age.

The January 16 arrest of Criminal Court Chief Justice Abdulla Mohammed, and the subsequent prosecution of then President Mohammed Nasheed, his Defence Minister Tholhath Ibrahim Kaleyfaanu and three senior army officials now should indicate the kind of 'institutional reforms' that Maldives requires.

With Maldive's Supreme Court serving 'contempt of court' notice on Election Commission members, a case is now getting increasingly made out for a review of the rights, powers and responsibilities of 'independent institutions'.

Former President Mohammed Nasheed was on a six-day-long visit to India, pressing his case for early elections and reiterating his position on the need for reforming the nation's 'independent institutions'.

Despite the high number of casualties suffered in the Maoist attacks, the government's action unfortunately depends on the 'paradox of numbers'. And it clearly mirrors the phenomenon of "lumpy adjustment" instead of the needed incremental steps.

The second Mekong-Ganga Dialogue, held in Laos and Thailand, effectively threw diverse and comparative insights into wide range of water issues plaguing both the regions and deliberated upon possibilities of cooperation and collective actions to sustainably manage water resources.

The military-mullah alliance is fundamental to the pervasive role of the army in Pakistan’s polity. This trend has led to many Islamist and terrorist organisations seeking the status of political parties, a move dubbed as ‘mainstreaming of terrorists.’

Analysts attribute the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August 2021 to various factors. These include geopolitical shifts, and the Taliban’s tactics of warfare. However, fewer attempts have been made to understand the Taliban’s victory through internal mobilisation. This brief attempts to fill the gap, and examines the role of identity, grievance, and greed in the Taliban’s mobilisation and its contribution to a successful insurgency. It out

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's penchant for using social media to address the public directly has apparently caused a rift within India's mainstream press.

India, Iran and Russia have decided to begin using the part-ready International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a multimodal network of sea, rail and road routes between India, Iran, Central Asia and Russia. As the broader politics in the region undergo new configurations that may put to question the project’s prospects, and the evolving security situation demands continuous appraisal, it is time to refocus discussion on the economics o

India is among the countries in the world that are most vulnerable to the consequences of global warming. While there are notable efforts for both mitigation and adaptation, these have failed to consider issues of gender equity even as evidence shows that women and girls bear the disproportionate burden of climate change. This is a gap that needs to be bridged, given the complex interlinkages between climate and gender that encompass livelihoods,

Not only is former President Pervez Musharraf likely to face trial for treason but also are others who abetted the crime - suspending the Constitution. This could draw in Army chief Kayani himself into the trial, if not as a co-accused but as a prosecution witness.

The two assassination attempts in quick succession on Gen.Pervez Musharraf, the President of an Islamic state, who is a key ally of the United States in the war in Afghanistan, came at a time when the US-led coalition forces in Iraq were rejoicing over the capture of Saddam Hussein, the enemy number two only after Osama bin Laden.

When comparing the current geopolitical landscape of Europe to the circumstances in the years following NATO’s establishment, it becomes apparent that very little has changed.

Even today, the ownership of the Bretton Wood Institutions (BWIs) continues to reflect the realities of 1943-44. Giving more voice to emerging economies will require ratification by the US Congress that has so far shown no sign of progress.

The National electronic Governance Plan (NeGP) has more or less got all the right ingredients. It just needs to be mixed in the right proportions.

In Nepal, another fierce battle for the top executive post has begun, putting the much important issue of Constitution-drafting in the back burner. As usual, the federalism debate has evaporated from the mainstream,

India and Australia could align strategic efforts to foil China’s attempts at throwing its weight around the eastern hemisphere

Donald Trump’s idea of machine politics has not just conditioned his view of domestic politics, but also of international relations and US foreign policy

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Delhi, NSA A.K. Doval said there is a need for collective response by countries to tackle terrorism as it will be very difficult for countries individually to fight terror effectively. He called for a Comprehensive United Nations Convention against Terrorism.

The world is experiencing a crucial shift; a new industrial revolution. This time, the colour is green, and the aim is a cleaner, more livable world for future generations. This industrial revolution will require unprecedented access to critical minerals like graphite, cobalt, lithium, and copper, used for some of the most advanced technologies of our time. Many of these minerals are scattered around the globe, and states that do not have the nat

In mid-June, the oil giant Shell was forced to declare force majeure in its Nigeria unit excusing it from liability and contractual obligations due to sabotage by local militias on its oil pipelines.

In short, the principle of subsidiarity demands that India’s national government take some cues from global trends and cede more powers to the city government in capital territory. The current bill by the Centre not only betrays the concept of “cooperative federalism” often espoused by the Union government, but will further complicate governance in India’s fastest growing mega-city.

A first of its kind in India, the first Observer Research Foundation-Delhi University summer workshop for undergraduate students on "India's Future Challenges" was organised at ORF Delhi campus between May 19, 2008 and June 4, 2008.

In the aftermath of Uri terror attack, India has been putting pressure on Pakistan by using multiple levers of power

The superciliousness of western media is surpassed only by Pakistan's unabashed statements on CAA and preaching secularism to India.

In the ongoing power game in Pakistan, the US would secretly back the Army despite all the ill feeling in recent weeks while publicly supporting the civilian government. Probably the US would prefer that the PPP government be sacrificed in an early election, something the Army would appreciate.

People have voted against the military’s political favourites but General Munir still gets to cook up the next coalition government

While these will not offer Pakistan a lot of leeway directly, they will give it more space to bring up issues that align with its own interests and deflect attention from India’s concerns

SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the ongoing pandemic, is changing as it spreads throughout the world. However, the assertions about a more aggressive strain spreading across human populations is merely conjecture at this point. It is necessary to conduct rigorous studies that couple clinical data (such as patient features and outcomes) with changes in the virus, as well as laboratory studies that test the effect of mutations on the ability